Pride | Queer Comics

For Pride month this year, I really wanted to shine the light on some of the amazing, amazing queer comics that I have come across and which deserve so much more love! Often when there is talk of queer comics there is a main name which always crops up and usually dominates the discussion; Lumberjanes (and/or Nimona). Whilst I do love both of these comics, there are a lot of fantastic queer comics out there which are doing beautiful things with art, narrative, and diverse representation. Many of these are even free to read online, with creators earning money through tips rather than being paid on a regular basis. So, I want to share with you all some of my favourite queer comics as well as some which I can’t wait to read!

-> The Lochbank Cryptid Society – free to read
I discovered this amazing webcomic through Tapas, a fantastic free comic website, and couldn’t get enough of it. Described by the creators as “is a supernatural mystery surrounding three teenagers who start an after school club dedicated to hunting cryptids and legends of their small town”, it not only boasts a really fun storyline but also super diverse characters which includes a lovely non-binary character who uses they/them pronouns!

-> The Teadragon Society – free to read
I haven’t gotten around to reading the Teadragon Society yet which is sad because is FREAKING ADORABLE. It has lots of tiny tea dragons in it, beautiful pastel colored artwork, and queer characters in it! For those who haven’t had the joy of hearing about TTS yet, it a heart-warming all-ages comic that follows the story of Greta, a blacksmith apprentice, who discovers a tea dragon in the marketplace and whilst learning how to take care of tea dragons she befriends lots of great friends along the way.

-> Moonstruck – goodreads
I have heard so many wonderful things about this cute as heck comic featuring a werewolf barista and her new girlfriend, fantastical creature friends, cute dates and magic.

-> Out of the Blue – free to read
I think this might actually be my ultimate fave queer comic discovery and I cannot begin to explain how much it warms my little heart. The artwork for it absolutely blows me away as everything is so soft and beautiful, and it’s a super cute gay fluff comic about a blind mine worker with a talent for guitar playing and a curious little mermaid boy. It kills me dead.

-> With Great Abandon – free to read
A contemporary comic about a cute gay romance between a trans man and a cis man.

-> Spread Your Wings – free to read
Little Lani hides her wings because she’s afraid of people finding out she’s different but will soon discover you don’t need to hide who you are to be loved.

-> On a Sunbeam – free to read
Boarding school is hard enough, let alone when you’re in a boarding school on a spaceship! But this one is different as it’s made up solely of women and non-binary people.

There are lots and lots of great queer comics out there that are either free to read online and/or are available to purchase online. Tapas is a really good place to look for all kinds of diverse comics which are free to read and you can even tip the creators as you go along. You can also google “queer webcomics” which brings up a tonne of hits with fantastic suggestions including posts by Book Riot, Tor and autostraddle. There are also more and more queer comics being produced every year which you can pick up for fairly cheap online or in comic book stores such as Ms. Marvel, Rat Queens, The Wicked and the Divine, Beyond: The Queer SFF Comic Anthology, and Fun Home by Alison Bechdel.

Do you read a lot of queer comics or are they not something you’ve really picked up before?If you do read them, what are some of your favourite queer comics?